A Young Man's Words...

"Teach (a) young man is teaching (the) world."

These words were recently posted on Facebook by Prosper Fernando, one of the Mozambican young men who attended our first automotive training course in 2011. Here he is below, paying close attention as MTM volunteer Ed Hyslip explains basic maintenance on the mission backhoe.

Prosper is now enrolled in Tariro, a nearby technical school run by British missionaries, Aaron & Sarah Beecher. Prosper is pursuing his dream of becoming a fully-trained mechanic, but life is not easy for these young men. Although the training is provided free of charge, Prosper still has to find a way to pay for lodging and food in a distant town, and because he is at school all day, he cannot go out and find work. He uses a donated bicycle to travel the many kilometres from town to school every day, but it broke down last month.

His most recent posting on Facebook was: "I will be offline from tomorow bkos i want to sel my cellfpone. Bkose i want to buy new parts for my bike."

I post this, not to plead for money for Prosper (though that would not be a bad thing), but to hi-lite how important vocational training is to people like him. Prosper knows that only by learning a good trade will he be able to provide for himself, and in the future, for his family. It's for young people like him that we continue to take our skills training to places like Mozambique. We are so grateful for mission organizations like SAM Ministries who allow us to come as volunteers to assist in their projects.

Unloading blocks (photo by Dwight Lagore)

Just this week, we learned that the last of the building blocks (2000 in total) arrived for the mechanics shop project at the SAM Ministries base in Mozambique. This means that there are now enough blocks to finish the walls up to roof height (the finished building will be 2-stories high).

Quissito checking for level (photo by Dwight Lagore)



Installing the first level of windows (photo by Dwight Lagore)

This facility will be a key location for training skilled mechanics in the Mucombeze area. We are trusting God for funds to keep this project moving ahead. Between now and Christmas about $6,000 is needed to pay worker's wages, buy more window frames, and purchase supplies such as cement, sand, and reinforcing steel.

Tome using the unfinished shop and its repair pit to perform some work on the mission backhoe (photo by Dwight Lagore)

Once the walls are completed, we will then be in a position to put on the roof and bring electrical power to the building.

Our Next Trip

March 2013 is the projected time for our next trip to Mozambique. I will be travelling again with building contractor Bob Denesiuk (MTM Mission Trip, March 2011), and our goal will be to fabricate and install the metal roof trusses on this building, as well as install the roof sheeting so that this shop can begin to be fully utilized.

Some other volunteers are considering this trip as well, and we continue to pray for God's guidance in putting together the full team as He sees fit. Travelling halfway around the world to work in the African bush is not an easy decision to make, and we are so thankful for those who do make the sacrifice and travel with us.

The financial needs for the March trip are daunting. At the current costs of steel and other materials, we estimate that it will take almost $40,000 to pay for the building supplies, local wages, and travel costs for the team. We welcome any and all groups and individuals to contact SAM Ministries about fund-raising for this important project, as we attempt to bring this building to "lock-up stage" by the end of March 2013!

Prosper Fernando and Rick Cogbill (photo by Todd Green)

Thanks for coming along on our adventures in Africa, as together we continue to fight poverty by teaching life-changing skills to young men like Prosper Fernando.